


a little bit taller

by serendipitiness



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: (but also a little supernatural), Alternate Universe - Human, Character Death, Gen, protective friends, the start of something new maybe, week 4: The Boy Next Door
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-11
Updated: 2019-08-11
Packaged: 2020-08-18 21:56:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20198803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serendipitiness/pseuds/serendipitiness
Summary: Alec wanders quietly through the house he's just moved into, carefully taking note of all the little signs he notices of the previous residents.Meanwhile, someone is following along.





	a little bit taller

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [sh_ficletinstruments](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/sh_ficletinstruments) collection. 

> **Prompt:**
> 
> Magnus and Ragnor have been best friends since childhood. After a tragic accident claims his friend's life Magnus can't seem to let go. Often finding himself parked in front of his friend's house, his world is turned upside down then he pulls up to find moving trucks in front of the house and someone new seems to have moved in.
> 
> (fyi that the core background of this ficlet follows the prompt but it's otherwise not super relevant)

The boy wanders through the hallways of the house that’s now his.

Well -- he may be a boy, but he's as tall as a man, gangly, with worn jeans that skim his ankles. He looks mildly interested, a little tired, resigned as his fingers trail across floral wallpaper and banged-up doors.

There are more of them -- a sister, two brothers, all under the watchful eyes of a newly single mother -- but it's easiest to follow this one. He's been staying inside helping to organize, putting dishes in cupboards, dismantling boxes for recycling, and quietly waiting for his mom's direction.

"Go have fun, Alec," he hears her tell him more than once. "It's summer. I can unpack just fine."

The boy, Alec, simply looks at his mother and her frazzled expression and exhausted face and shakes his head.

"It’s okay," he says, and then each time, his mother sighs, hugging him close. He always lets her.

It's on the fifth day of their move that Alec discovers the height markers.

They’re made up of lines and numbers drawn on the laundry room wall, starting three feet off the ground and continuing up closer to six. The dates start twelve years ago, always paired with a line and a name; these bottom-most ones are written messily, accompanied by doodles of smiley faces and rainbow animals.

Alec traces along the only two names that appear: _ Ragnor. Magnus. _

His fingers move upwards, following the dates. The further up the marks go, the neater the writing. There’s a big jump sometime three years ago, when they both have growth spurts, then --

The lines stop on a date two years ago.

Alec furrows his brow. Perhaps he's wondering why.

He lingers for another few minutes, then eventually, he meanders out, toward the living room. A faint frown persists on his face as he picks his way between boxes and bubble wrap, hazel eyes worlds away as he stops by the window and lets light hit his face.

Alec looks out the window, darting from the driveway to the flowers before his gaze suddenly focuses on something, on someone, and the troubled expression on his face changes. His frown smooths out, clearing as curiosity lights up his features, eyes widening, mouth parting, breath catching just a little in his chest.

The doorbell rings, and Alec scrambles to the entryway, nearly tripping as he pulls on the heavy door.

Magnus Bane waits, shuffling his weight between his feet. He’s broader, taller, and looks nervous as he stands at the door of a once-familiar home.

“Oh,” he says, blinking when he catches Alec's eyes. The cake in his hands, piped clumsily with “Welcome,” dips dangerously, but Magnus doesn’t drag his gaze away as he rights the tray. “Hi. I’m Magnus.”

For the first time since his arrival, Alec smiles. “Hi.”

_ Please be kind to him_, Ragnor hopes as he watches Alec shake Magnus’ hand shyly. And with that, Ragnor sighs, content, and lets himself disappear back into the sunlight.


End file.
